Ezra 7-8
Good morning, after a week off to take communion and have a sharing time, we're back to our series on the book of Ezra. Today, we get to meet Ezra, the man himself. Before we get started, let's take a moment and pray. I encourage you to take a moment and ask the Lord to speak into your own hearts. Let's bow silently for a minute.
Father God, that is our prayer. Speak Lord to us. We are yours. Thank you that Your Word accomplishes its purpose and that it does not return void. Bring the truth and lessons of Ezra to us in the present day. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Okay, let's go directly to Ezra chapter 7, and meet Ezra.
After these things … Ezra 7:1
After what things? Well, after the events of the first 6 chapters of Ezra. We have the decree of Cyrus allowing the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and Judah, in fulfillment of prophecy. We have about 50,000 Israelites whose hearts were moved by God joining together for a 1000 mile journey on foot, as a remnant that God had preserved. Then, there is the on again off again rebuilding of the temple which takes about 20 years. In addition, there is a period of time between the events of Ezra 6 which occurred around 516 BC and the events of Ezra 7 which occurred around 458 BC. This is about 57 years, during which time accusations against the people of Judah and Jerusalem arose as written in Ezra 4:6. Also, during this time the events of the book of Esther occur.
So proceeding with Ezra 7:1
during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest--this Ezra came up from Babylon … Ezra 7:2-6
This is quite a list of people. It is somewhat of a who's who of the priestly line. This is not a direct lineage. The phrase, “the son of” can also mean “the descendant of.” Looking briefly at a few of these names,
Seraiah was the high priest under King Zedekiah during the fall of Jerusalem 128 years earlier. Seraiah was taken prisoner and executed before Nebuchadnezzar. (II Kings 25:18-21)
Hilkiah was the high priest under King Josiah. (II Kings 22:4)
Zadok was a priest during the reign of David. Solomon later appointed Zadok as high priest. (II Samuel 8:17)
Phinehas was the son of Eleazar and he boldly took action to prevent a plague from destroying the Israelites.
Eleazar was the third son of Aaron and became high priest upon the death of his father because his older brothers had not obeyed the Law and had been struck down.
Aaron of course was the brother of Moses and the first high priest appointed by God.
This is the Ezra we are talking about. “This Ezra.” Descendant of high priests from generation to generation. He had the qualifications to be high priest and likely would have been had the temple not been destroyed. It is not clear why Ezra is still in Babylon. The Bible does not say. Think about it for a moment. Wouldn't Ezra have been a perfect candidate for bitterness? He is still a priest. As we will come to see, he loves the Lord and knows the Law. Obviously from what we've just read, he knows his lineage and heritage. Wouldn't it be so easy to think, “why me, trapped here in Babylon” or “why now, why couldn't I have lived before?” “God, it's not fair.” “What did I do to deserve this?”
Ezra does not fall into that trap. Why not? I think that Carl gave us the explanation. It's about the heart attitudes of the Israelites. They, including Ezra, are humble before the Lord. They are not insisting on their rights. They are utterly dependent on God. They have no power or strength, they are lacking false pride.
I've got a quick story that came up yesterday while I was over at the church preparing the message. Melissa had taken the kids and had gone over to the dairy, about 30 miles away. Well, she calls me from her cell phone about 5:30 pm. I'm curious what might be going on. And she tells me that she's home but there's a screw sticking out the side of one of the van tires, hissing furiously. So, I run home quick to change the tire. Now, one of those big van tires has 8 lug nuts. The lugs are about 2 inches long. And they have a fine pitch thread. It takes a long time to get the lug nuts off. So once I break the lugs loose, I draft Samuel to help me unscrew them. No complaint from Sam, he jumps in and starts unscrewing lug nuts. This frees me up to get the spare out and then we work together unscrewing lug nuts, four hands instead of two. No NASCAR pit crew, but I know he saved me a fair amount of time. While Sam is diligently working, Melissa says to him, “Are you a good helper?” I'm expecting Sam to puff out his chest and say, “Yes, I am!” All 4 of his older brothers and sisters are home, but he was chosen to help. This is a great opportunity to be prideful. So what does he say. He paused for a second, and then he says, “Well, I'm useful.” Shouldn't that be our desire as servants of the Lord? May God work through us because we are useful and more so, usable to him.
I Peter 5:6 is very clear about this,
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. I Peter 5:6
May we also, humbly submit to the Lord our God. God will do the “lifting up,” not us.
Going on in Ezra verse 6
He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him. Some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers and temple servants, also came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. Ezra 7:6-7
The phrase “well versed” is also translated “ready or skilled scribe.” The thought was someone who was quick or prompt at something.
Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him.
For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. Ezra 7:8-10
This was a hard, long journey. It took 5 months. However, he did arrive safely, why? Because “the gracious hand of his God was on him.”
Why was the hand of God on Ezra? “For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.”
“This Ezra” not only has the heritage of the high priests. He is commonly accepted as the author of I and II Chronicles, and obviously the writer of the book of Ezra.
Do you remember in verse 6, we talked about Ezra as a ready, well versed, and skilled scribe? How did he get ready, well versed, and skilled? Well, he was devoted. Devoted to what? Devoted to study, observance, and teaching the Law of the Lord.
Ezra successfully made a 5 month 1000 mile journey through the wilderness. In a lot of ways, Ezra was probably ignorant of or unskilled at moving a large group of people across such a vast expanse. Before taking this journey, was Ezra committed to the study, observance, and teaching of Wilderness Survival Training or Situational Leadership or Animal Husbandry or Tent making or Feeding a Crowd on a Tight Budget? No, he was devoted to the study, observance and teaching of the Lord, verse 10. And verse 9, the gracious hand of his God was upon him. And, he arrived in Jerusalem. In the same way for us, Jesus said …
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-33
God tells us, “You don't have to have it all figured out. Seek me first, and I will help you with the rest.” God is our protector and provider. Only in Him are we safe from the cares of the world.
We have permission not to worry about our circumstances. We do not have permission not to seek God. Paul wrote to Timothy,
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction. II Timothy 4:2
The King James Version says to “be instant” in season and out of season. The Greek is literally to stand by, to be ready. If we are servants of God, we need to be ready whether it is convenient to us or not. How do we get prepared? Be devoted to the Word. Memorize it. Read it. Listen to it again and again until it just oozes out of you. We are clay pots. We have this treasure in jars of clay. We should be so filled up with living water that it leaks out.
You hear people around here say, “My blood runs orange.” Clemson fans are so devoted, that they're orange on the inside. Would that our blood were the Word of God.
I think Fred is like this. If you poked Fred, I'm pretty sure that the Word of God would come out of him. He is passionate about staying under the faucet of living water. Being immersed in the Word of God. I'm okay with Paul's words to be prepared in season, but I'm a little shaky about being prepared out of season.
Back to Ezra 7:10, “study, do, teach.” Even the sequence of words is significant. You've got to study the Word to be able to do it, and you've got to do the Word in order to teach it. James 1:22 says,
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25
Sound familiar, “for the gracious hand of his God was on him.”
Moving on in Ezra chapter 7,
This is a copy of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest and teacher, a man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the Lord for Israel: Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings. Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who wish to go to Jerusalem with you, may go. You are sent by the king and his seven advisers to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand. Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his advisers have freely given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, together with all the silver and gold you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests for the temple of their God in Jerusalem. Ezra 7:11-16
Do you remember at the exodus that the Egyptians gave all kind of precious jewelry to the people of Israel? Why did the Egyptians give these gifts? It was out of fear. They had just experienced the devastation of 10 plagues. Give the Israelites anything, just make them go away.
Now, the remnant is returning to Israel. They are receiving gifts from the king and his advisers and the province of Babylon. What is the motivation for these gifts? Mustn't they be because of the devotion of those returning to Israel. These gifts have to come from the respect that the people of Israel have developed among their neighbors. The earnestness of the faith and their boldness in stepping out on such a long and dangerous journey. Can our neighbors see the earnestness of our faith and the boldness in our stepping out?
Back to the letter from Artaxerxes,
With this money be sure to buy bulls, rams and male lambs, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and sacrifice them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem. You and your brother Jews may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God. Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles entrusted to you for worship in the temple of your God. And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may provide from the royal treasury. Now I, King Artaxerxes, order all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you--up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cords of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit. Ezra 7:17-22
Artaxerxes has not only blessed Ezra before his departure, but he has also ordered the support of the treasurers of Trans-Euprhates, or the governing body around Israel.
Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and of his sons? You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God. Ezra 7:23-24
Those who return with Ezra are sent with a purpose. They are to return and follow the God of heaven with diligence. When you choose to go, you better be serious, you better mean business. The same applies for us today.
Then, [Jesus] called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Mark 8:34
The last portion of the letter from Artaxerxes to Ezra,
And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates--all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them. Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment. Ezra 7:25-26
Ezra is not being appointed the governor over the people. But he is given serious authority. Note also the recognition of the king at wisdom of God that Ezra possesses. We'll see it again in just a moment, but it is clear that Ezra has had a significant relationship with King Artaxerxes. I just envision the king talking with Ezra and trying to compliment Ezra. “I enjoy these little talks we have. You make me think about things in ways I didn't really expect. Ezra you are a wise prophet.” But then gently, Ezra corrects the king, citing Proverbs 2, “No great King, it is not I who am wise ...
For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Proverbs 2:6-8
Remembering their talk, the letter does not attribute wisdom to Ezra, but to God.
In response to such a blessing from the king, Ezra responds
Praise be to the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king's heart to bring honor to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king's powerful officials. Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me. Ezra 7:27-28
Now, Ezra 8:1-14 is a list of all those who were gathered to go up from Babylon to Jerusalem. In total, almost 1500 men.
I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levites there. Ezra 8:15
These books of Ezra and Nehemiah are great books for examples of applying wisdom. Ezra has gotten a magnificent letter from the king. He's gathered 1500 men with their families ready to go. Well, let's go. But, Ezra does some checking first. We need to be mindful of the same thing. When you are going to undertake a big task or a long journey, and definitely, life changing decisions like marriage. We need to stop and take some time and check things out.
In this case, Ezra checks and low and behold, no Levites. Now just quickly, if you jump back to the first group to return with Zerubbabel in Ezra chapter 2, only 74 Levites returned with the group of 50,000. That works out to 1.5 Levites per thousand Israelites. When the 12 tribes came out of Egypt, there was about 1 Levite per 25 Israelites, and at the time when David was king, the ratio was roughly 1 Levite per 50 Israelites. What happened?
What was the responsibility of the Levites? Their job was the “dirty work” of the temple. I Chronicles 9 says that the Levites were responsible for the work night and day. In other words, the temple work was 24/7.
What was the share of the inheritance of the Levites? The received no share in the inheritance of the land. Their inheritance was “the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord.” Numbers 18:24 Before we are too harsh with the Levites, if the Israelites were taken into captivity because they turned away from the Lord and worshipped idols. What happened to the tithes? They didn't give their tithe to the temple. So, what happened to the Levites share in the inheritance? They didn't get any.
So, the proclamation goes forth originally from Cyrus and now from Artaxerxes that anyone “who wishes to go to Jerusalem, may go.” Could the Levites resentment toward their brothers be holding them back? Do they believe their lives in exile are better than what they can expect in Jerusalem? Do they have a healthier respect for Artaxerxes decree? “Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven.”
The scary thought from Ezra 2:5 is that “everyone whose heart God had moved prepared to go up.” While we can see the reasons for why the Levites might not want to go, it also appears that their hearts were hardened and not moved by God.
If Ezra is going back specifically to ensure the return to following the Law and sacrifices required at the temple, can he go back without any Levites? No.
So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of learning, and I sent them to Iddo, the leader in Casiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his kinsmen, the temple servants in Casiphia, so that they might bring attendants to us for the house of our God. Ezra 8:16-17
What does Ezra do exactly? He summons. Who does he summon? Leaders and men of learning. He sends them to another leader. And, he tells them what to say.
Ezra's devotion to the Lord. His studying, doing and teaching the Law of the Lord has equipped him to deal with a difficult situation correctly. As in Matthew 6:25, Ezra again has “all these things given to him as well.”
Because the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah's sons and brothers, 18 men; and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 men. They also brought 220 of the temple servants--a body that David and the officials had established to assist the Levites. All were registered by name. Ezra 8:18-20
I don't know what Ezra told them to say, but it must have worked. It appears they came right away because they returned to the Ahava Canal where the rest of the company had camped only 3 days.
There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him." Ezra 8:21-22
Ezra and exiles have been witnessing to King Artaxerxes because it says, “we had told the king.” Now, in order to be consistent, Ezra realizes that he can't double talk this. Yes, God is protecting us but could you send us a couple of hundred horsemen, just in case. Again, the people come to the Lord humbly by fasting and prayer. If you are concerned about something or afraid, fasting and prayer are excellent ways to deal with that situation.
We do something at our house that is a little unusual. We've been doing it since Taryn was little, so for at least 12-13 years. When one of the kids get sick, and I mean really sick, with a high fever or a scary sounding cough or they've been sick and don't seem to get well for days. We'll go and get the olive oil out of the cabinet. We take a little bit of it and put it on the forehead of whoever is sick, and then we all sit together as a family and pray. My part is based on James 5:14-15 and usually goes something like, “Lord we know that this oil does not heal, but you tell us if someone is sick, to pray over them and anoint their head with oil in the name of the Lord. This oil is a symbol of our faith. Our faith is in You to heal and not ourselves, our knowledge or medicine. You promise that the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well. You are the great Physician. You made our bodies and knit them together. You know what is wrong and how to make it well. Lord we pray that you would heal.”
Now, I won't tell you that a beam of light shoots down after the prayer, and the child walks away without a symptom. But, I will tell you that the situation improves quickly and healing occurs. We don't go to the doctor very much, especially not for a family with six kids. We get colds. We get bumps and bruises, scrapes and cuts. We've had one cast and several x-rays. All six of the kids were born in a hospital. So, I'm not making a commentary about the medical community. It is about our faith as a family. Psalm 20:7 says,
Some trust in chariots and some in horses (and some trust in money and some trust in houses and things, and some trust in their abilities and some trust in other people), but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7
Ezra 8:23 ...
So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer. Ezra 8:23
Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their brothers, and I weighed out to them the offering of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his advisers, his officials and all Israel present there had donated for the house of our God. Ezra 8:24-25
I weighed out to them 650 talents of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents, 100 talents of gold, 20 bowls of gold valued at 1,000 darics, and two fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold. Ezra 8:26-27
This is a huge amount of precious metals. The gifts to the returning exiles is far exceeds the amounts promised in Artaxerxes' letter from the treasuries of Trans-Euphrates. This caravan is carrying twenty nine tons of silver. Seventy five hundred pounds of gold. In today's dollars, about $180,000,000. Have the king, his advisers, the Israelites still in Babylon, and their neighbors been generous? I'd say so. Can you imagine traveling with these sums of money without any armed protection where you know there are bandits and robbers, nomads whose key supplemental income is stealing from under defended caravans? It's a wonder that Ezra slept for the entire 5 months.
One more quick point on this. Do you see who Ezra entrusted these riches to? Twelve of them were priests and 12 of them were Levites. These are the same Levites that Ezra had to send for and convince to come along. Ezra is placing full faith in them and in the Lord that these Levites will serve in the office they were born to serve.
I said to them, "You as well as these articles are consecrated to the Lord. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your fathers. Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of Israel." Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem. Ezra 8:28-30
I know that I'm running out of time. There are so many excellent lessons in Ezra and Nehemiah. I can't stand to pass them by without commenting.
Look here, these items are entrusted to the priests and Levites to deliver safely. They are steward of this treasure. In addition, if you remember from Artaxerxes' letter, the purpose of these gifts is for the sacrifices and offerings. Any leftover amount should be used for “whatever seems best … in accordance with the will of your God.”
Aren't we in the same position when it comes to our money and possessions? We belong to God. Our stuff belongs to God. We are stewards of the “stuff.” Our first use of the money entrusted to us should be to give back to the Lord. Then, the remaining money and possessions are to be used for “whatever seems best … in accordance with the will of God.”
Finances appear quite often in the Bible. God uses finances to evaluate where we are spiritually. There is a strong link between financial stewardship and spiritual maturity. In Luke 16, Jesus explains it plainly …
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight. Luke 16:10-15
You can draw your own conclusions about what is highly valued among men, but if you really want to know, just watch a few commercials on TV. They are selling you a bill of goods of what will make you happy. Look younger, be trendy, impress your friends. At best, as Solomon explained in Ecclesiastes, it is just “vanity, vanity, a chasing after the wind.” As soon as you buy one thing, it's obsolete. Then, you've got to buy the next thing. At worst, it is destestable in God's sight. Much of what passes for entertainment these days falls into that category.
If this bill of goods highly valued by men is vanity at best or at its worst detestable to the Lord, we should flee from it because who wants to be devoted to the things of this world? They are all passing away. You don't have to be an old geezer like me to understand this. Taryn experienced this in an especially irritating way two weeks ago. She had her three favorite silly bands out in her bedroom. While she was gone, the cat came and ate a chunk out of each one of the silly bands. I'm not making this up. Our deranged cat ate select portions of three silly bands. Now, Taryn did not have her hope in silly bands. At the same time, she was pretty much furious. How many of the worldly things we set our hearts on are the equivalent of silly bands when compared to true riches in heaven?
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21
On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. Ezra 8:31
That's it. Five months of travel on foot. It took twelve days to get some Levites, fast and pray, and divide the gifts. Then five months of traveling day after day. Terrain and landscape pretty much the same. Lots of brown, lots of rocks. We kind of skipped over the fact that their children came with them. I get frustrated with the “Are we there yet?” question when we travel a couple of hours. Could you imagine 5 months of, “Are we there yet?” And yet, God brought them through this journey without soldiers or armies, safely and intact. He answered their prayer in a big way.
So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days. On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time. Ezra 8:32-34
Another practical point. Ezra did divide up the treasure among men he deemed trustworthy. Also, they weighed everything at the beginning and they weighed it at the end. Ezra was prudent. He trusted but he made sure that there was accountability among those he trusted. Nothing was missing.
Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs and, as a sin offering, twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord. They also delivered the king's orders to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God. Ezra 8:35-36
One last practical point. They brought with them the letter from King Artaxerxes. Make sure you have your documents backed up, and you know where they are. Rather than in chapters 5 where they had to send to King Darius a request that the archives be searched for the original decree allowing them to rebuild the temple.
Look at the sacrifice they offered upon their arrival. They offered twelve bulls. Not three bulls for Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, but rather twelve bulls for the twelve tribes of Israel. There is not partisan jockeying for power now. There is only a desire to be reunited in God's promised land under His provision and His protection.
Let's pray.
Father God, we all make a journey of faith. We pray for your protection along the way. We have many responsibilities. I pray that we would have the wisdom to discharge our duties faithfully. Remind us continually that we need to seek you first above everything else. If we seek You first, all the other needs in our lives will be met. Guard our hearts that we would not by captivated by the things of this world. Remind us that all things that glitter are not gold. Our life is in you Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Father God, that is our prayer. Speak Lord to us. We are yours. Thank you that Your Word accomplishes its purpose and that it does not return void. Bring the truth and lessons of Ezra to us in the present day. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Okay, let's go directly to Ezra chapter 7, and meet Ezra.
After these things … Ezra 7:1
After what things? Well, after the events of the first 6 chapters of Ezra. We have the decree of Cyrus allowing the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and Judah, in fulfillment of prophecy. We have about 50,000 Israelites whose hearts were moved by God joining together for a 1000 mile journey on foot, as a remnant that God had preserved. Then, there is the on again off again rebuilding of the temple which takes about 20 years. In addition, there is a period of time between the events of Ezra 6 which occurred around 516 BC and the events of Ezra 7 which occurred around 458 BC. This is about 57 years, during which time accusations against the people of Judah and Jerusalem arose as written in Ezra 4:6. Also, during this time the events of the book of Esther occur.
So proceeding with Ezra 7:1
during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest--this Ezra came up from Babylon … Ezra 7:2-6
This is quite a list of people. It is somewhat of a who's who of the priestly line. This is not a direct lineage. The phrase, “the son of” can also mean “the descendant of.” Looking briefly at a few of these names,
Seraiah was the high priest under King Zedekiah during the fall of Jerusalem 128 years earlier. Seraiah was taken prisoner and executed before Nebuchadnezzar. (II Kings 25:18-21)
Hilkiah was the high priest under King Josiah. (II Kings 22:4)
Zadok was a priest during the reign of David. Solomon later appointed Zadok as high priest. (II Samuel 8:17)
Phinehas was the son of Eleazar and he boldly took action to prevent a plague from destroying the Israelites.
Eleazar was the third son of Aaron and became high priest upon the death of his father because his older brothers had not obeyed the Law and had been struck down.
Aaron of course was the brother of Moses and the first high priest appointed by God.
This is the Ezra we are talking about. “This Ezra.” Descendant of high priests from generation to generation. He had the qualifications to be high priest and likely would have been had the temple not been destroyed. It is not clear why Ezra is still in Babylon. The Bible does not say. Think about it for a moment. Wouldn't Ezra have been a perfect candidate for bitterness? He is still a priest. As we will come to see, he loves the Lord and knows the Law. Obviously from what we've just read, he knows his lineage and heritage. Wouldn't it be so easy to think, “why me, trapped here in Babylon” or “why now, why couldn't I have lived before?” “God, it's not fair.” “What did I do to deserve this?”
Ezra does not fall into that trap. Why not? I think that Carl gave us the explanation. It's about the heart attitudes of the Israelites. They, including Ezra, are humble before the Lord. They are not insisting on their rights. They are utterly dependent on God. They have no power or strength, they are lacking false pride.
I've got a quick story that came up yesterday while I was over at the church preparing the message. Melissa had taken the kids and had gone over to the dairy, about 30 miles away. Well, she calls me from her cell phone about 5:30 pm. I'm curious what might be going on. And she tells me that she's home but there's a screw sticking out the side of one of the van tires, hissing furiously. So, I run home quick to change the tire. Now, one of those big van tires has 8 lug nuts. The lugs are about 2 inches long. And they have a fine pitch thread. It takes a long time to get the lug nuts off. So once I break the lugs loose, I draft Samuel to help me unscrew them. No complaint from Sam, he jumps in and starts unscrewing lug nuts. This frees me up to get the spare out and then we work together unscrewing lug nuts, four hands instead of two. No NASCAR pit crew, but I know he saved me a fair amount of time. While Sam is diligently working, Melissa says to him, “Are you a good helper?” I'm expecting Sam to puff out his chest and say, “Yes, I am!” All 4 of his older brothers and sisters are home, but he was chosen to help. This is a great opportunity to be prideful. So what does he say. He paused for a second, and then he says, “Well, I'm useful.” Shouldn't that be our desire as servants of the Lord? May God work through us because we are useful and more so, usable to him.
I Peter 5:6 is very clear about this,
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. I Peter 5:6
May we also, humbly submit to the Lord our God. God will do the “lifting up,” not us.
Going on in Ezra verse 6
He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him. Some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers and temple servants, also came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. Ezra 7:6-7
The phrase “well versed” is also translated “ready or skilled scribe.” The thought was someone who was quick or prompt at something.
Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him.
For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. Ezra 7:8-10
This was a hard, long journey. It took 5 months. However, he did arrive safely, why? Because “the gracious hand of his God was on him.”
Why was the hand of God on Ezra? “For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.”
“This Ezra” not only has the heritage of the high priests. He is commonly accepted as the author of I and II Chronicles, and obviously the writer of the book of Ezra.
Do you remember in verse 6, we talked about Ezra as a ready, well versed, and skilled scribe? How did he get ready, well versed, and skilled? Well, he was devoted. Devoted to what? Devoted to study, observance, and teaching the Law of the Lord.
Ezra successfully made a 5 month 1000 mile journey through the wilderness. In a lot of ways, Ezra was probably ignorant of or unskilled at moving a large group of people across such a vast expanse. Before taking this journey, was Ezra committed to the study, observance, and teaching of Wilderness Survival Training or Situational Leadership or Animal Husbandry or Tent making or Feeding a Crowd on a Tight Budget? No, he was devoted to the study, observance and teaching of the Lord, verse 10. And verse 9, the gracious hand of his God was upon him. And, he arrived in Jerusalem. In the same way for us, Jesus said …
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-33
God tells us, “You don't have to have it all figured out. Seek me first, and I will help you with the rest.” God is our protector and provider. Only in Him are we safe from the cares of the world.
We have permission not to worry about our circumstances. We do not have permission not to seek God. Paul wrote to Timothy,
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction. II Timothy 4:2
The King James Version says to “be instant” in season and out of season. The Greek is literally to stand by, to be ready. If we are servants of God, we need to be ready whether it is convenient to us or not. How do we get prepared? Be devoted to the Word. Memorize it. Read it. Listen to it again and again until it just oozes out of you. We are clay pots. We have this treasure in jars of clay. We should be so filled up with living water that it leaks out.
You hear people around here say, “My blood runs orange.” Clemson fans are so devoted, that they're orange on the inside. Would that our blood were the Word of God.
I think Fred is like this. If you poked Fred, I'm pretty sure that the Word of God would come out of him. He is passionate about staying under the faucet of living water. Being immersed in the Word of God. I'm okay with Paul's words to be prepared in season, but I'm a little shaky about being prepared out of season.
Back to Ezra 7:10, “study, do, teach.” Even the sequence of words is significant. You've got to study the Word to be able to do it, and you've got to do the Word in order to teach it. James 1:22 says,
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25
Sound familiar, “for the gracious hand of his God was on him.”
Moving on in Ezra chapter 7,
This is a copy of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest and teacher, a man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the Lord for Israel: Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings. Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who wish to go to Jerusalem with you, may go. You are sent by the king and his seven advisers to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand. Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his advisers have freely given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, together with all the silver and gold you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests for the temple of their God in Jerusalem. Ezra 7:11-16
Do you remember at the exodus that the Egyptians gave all kind of precious jewelry to the people of Israel? Why did the Egyptians give these gifts? It was out of fear. They had just experienced the devastation of 10 plagues. Give the Israelites anything, just make them go away.
Now, the remnant is returning to Israel. They are receiving gifts from the king and his advisers and the province of Babylon. What is the motivation for these gifts? Mustn't they be because of the devotion of those returning to Israel. These gifts have to come from the respect that the people of Israel have developed among their neighbors. The earnestness of the faith and their boldness in stepping out on such a long and dangerous journey. Can our neighbors see the earnestness of our faith and the boldness in our stepping out?
Back to the letter from Artaxerxes,
With this money be sure to buy bulls, rams and male lambs, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and sacrifice them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem. You and your brother Jews may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God. Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles entrusted to you for worship in the temple of your God. And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may provide from the royal treasury. Now I, King Artaxerxes, order all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you--up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cords of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit. Ezra 7:17-22
Artaxerxes has not only blessed Ezra before his departure, but he has also ordered the support of the treasurers of Trans-Euprhates, or the governing body around Israel.
Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and of his sons? You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God. Ezra 7:23-24
Those who return with Ezra are sent with a purpose. They are to return and follow the God of heaven with diligence. When you choose to go, you better be serious, you better mean business. The same applies for us today.
Then, [Jesus] called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Mark 8:34
The last portion of the letter from Artaxerxes to Ezra,
And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates--all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them. Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment. Ezra 7:25-26
Ezra is not being appointed the governor over the people. But he is given serious authority. Note also the recognition of the king at wisdom of God that Ezra possesses. We'll see it again in just a moment, but it is clear that Ezra has had a significant relationship with King Artaxerxes. I just envision the king talking with Ezra and trying to compliment Ezra. “I enjoy these little talks we have. You make me think about things in ways I didn't really expect. Ezra you are a wise prophet.” But then gently, Ezra corrects the king, citing Proverbs 2, “No great King, it is not I who am wise ...
For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Proverbs 2:6-8
Remembering their talk, the letter does not attribute wisdom to Ezra, but to God.
In response to such a blessing from the king, Ezra responds
Praise be to the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king's heart to bring honor to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king's powerful officials. Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me. Ezra 7:27-28
Now, Ezra 8:1-14 is a list of all those who were gathered to go up from Babylon to Jerusalem. In total, almost 1500 men.
I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levites there. Ezra 8:15
These books of Ezra and Nehemiah are great books for examples of applying wisdom. Ezra has gotten a magnificent letter from the king. He's gathered 1500 men with their families ready to go. Well, let's go. But, Ezra does some checking first. We need to be mindful of the same thing. When you are going to undertake a big task or a long journey, and definitely, life changing decisions like marriage. We need to stop and take some time and check things out.
In this case, Ezra checks and low and behold, no Levites. Now just quickly, if you jump back to the first group to return with Zerubbabel in Ezra chapter 2, only 74 Levites returned with the group of 50,000. That works out to 1.5 Levites per thousand Israelites. When the 12 tribes came out of Egypt, there was about 1 Levite per 25 Israelites, and at the time when David was king, the ratio was roughly 1 Levite per 50 Israelites. What happened?
What was the responsibility of the Levites? Their job was the “dirty work” of the temple. I Chronicles 9 says that the Levites were responsible for the work night and day. In other words, the temple work was 24/7.
What was the share of the inheritance of the Levites? The received no share in the inheritance of the land. Their inheritance was “the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord.” Numbers 18:24 Before we are too harsh with the Levites, if the Israelites were taken into captivity because they turned away from the Lord and worshipped idols. What happened to the tithes? They didn't give their tithe to the temple. So, what happened to the Levites share in the inheritance? They didn't get any.
So, the proclamation goes forth originally from Cyrus and now from Artaxerxes that anyone “who wishes to go to Jerusalem, may go.” Could the Levites resentment toward their brothers be holding them back? Do they believe their lives in exile are better than what they can expect in Jerusalem? Do they have a healthier respect for Artaxerxes decree? “Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven.”
The scary thought from Ezra 2:5 is that “everyone whose heart God had moved prepared to go up.” While we can see the reasons for why the Levites might not want to go, it also appears that their hearts were hardened and not moved by God.
If Ezra is going back specifically to ensure the return to following the Law and sacrifices required at the temple, can he go back without any Levites? No.
So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of learning, and I sent them to Iddo, the leader in Casiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his kinsmen, the temple servants in Casiphia, so that they might bring attendants to us for the house of our God. Ezra 8:16-17
What does Ezra do exactly? He summons. Who does he summon? Leaders and men of learning. He sends them to another leader. And, he tells them what to say.
Ezra's devotion to the Lord. His studying, doing and teaching the Law of the Lord has equipped him to deal with a difficult situation correctly. As in Matthew 6:25, Ezra again has “all these things given to him as well.”
Because the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah's sons and brothers, 18 men; and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 men. They also brought 220 of the temple servants--a body that David and the officials had established to assist the Levites. All were registered by name. Ezra 8:18-20
I don't know what Ezra told them to say, but it must have worked. It appears they came right away because they returned to the Ahava Canal where the rest of the company had camped only 3 days.
There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him." Ezra 8:21-22
Ezra and exiles have been witnessing to King Artaxerxes because it says, “we had told the king.” Now, in order to be consistent, Ezra realizes that he can't double talk this. Yes, God is protecting us but could you send us a couple of hundred horsemen, just in case. Again, the people come to the Lord humbly by fasting and prayer. If you are concerned about something or afraid, fasting and prayer are excellent ways to deal with that situation.
We do something at our house that is a little unusual. We've been doing it since Taryn was little, so for at least 12-13 years. When one of the kids get sick, and I mean really sick, with a high fever or a scary sounding cough or they've been sick and don't seem to get well for days. We'll go and get the olive oil out of the cabinet. We take a little bit of it and put it on the forehead of whoever is sick, and then we all sit together as a family and pray. My part is based on James 5:14-15 and usually goes something like, “Lord we know that this oil does not heal, but you tell us if someone is sick, to pray over them and anoint their head with oil in the name of the Lord. This oil is a symbol of our faith. Our faith is in You to heal and not ourselves, our knowledge or medicine. You promise that the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well. You are the great Physician. You made our bodies and knit them together. You know what is wrong and how to make it well. Lord we pray that you would heal.”
Now, I won't tell you that a beam of light shoots down after the prayer, and the child walks away without a symptom. But, I will tell you that the situation improves quickly and healing occurs. We don't go to the doctor very much, especially not for a family with six kids. We get colds. We get bumps and bruises, scrapes and cuts. We've had one cast and several x-rays. All six of the kids were born in a hospital. So, I'm not making a commentary about the medical community. It is about our faith as a family. Psalm 20:7 says,
Some trust in chariots and some in horses (and some trust in money and some trust in houses and things, and some trust in their abilities and some trust in other people), but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7
Ezra 8:23 ...
So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer. Ezra 8:23
Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their brothers, and I weighed out to them the offering of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his advisers, his officials and all Israel present there had donated for the house of our God. Ezra 8:24-25
I weighed out to them 650 talents of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents, 100 talents of gold, 20 bowls of gold valued at 1,000 darics, and two fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold. Ezra 8:26-27
This is a huge amount of precious metals. The gifts to the returning exiles is far exceeds the amounts promised in Artaxerxes' letter from the treasuries of Trans-Euphrates. This caravan is carrying twenty nine tons of silver. Seventy five hundred pounds of gold. In today's dollars, about $180,000,000. Have the king, his advisers, the Israelites still in Babylon, and their neighbors been generous? I'd say so. Can you imagine traveling with these sums of money without any armed protection where you know there are bandits and robbers, nomads whose key supplemental income is stealing from under defended caravans? It's a wonder that Ezra slept for the entire 5 months.
One more quick point on this. Do you see who Ezra entrusted these riches to? Twelve of them were priests and 12 of them were Levites. These are the same Levites that Ezra had to send for and convince to come along. Ezra is placing full faith in them and in the Lord that these Levites will serve in the office they were born to serve.
I said to them, "You as well as these articles are consecrated to the Lord. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your fathers. Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of Israel." Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem. Ezra 8:28-30
I know that I'm running out of time. There are so many excellent lessons in Ezra and Nehemiah. I can't stand to pass them by without commenting.
Look here, these items are entrusted to the priests and Levites to deliver safely. They are steward of this treasure. In addition, if you remember from Artaxerxes' letter, the purpose of these gifts is for the sacrifices and offerings. Any leftover amount should be used for “whatever seems best … in accordance with the will of your God.”
Aren't we in the same position when it comes to our money and possessions? We belong to God. Our stuff belongs to God. We are stewards of the “stuff.” Our first use of the money entrusted to us should be to give back to the Lord. Then, the remaining money and possessions are to be used for “whatever seems best … in accordance with the will of God.”
Finances appear quite often in the Bible. God uses finances to evaluate where we are spiritually. There is a strong link between financial stewardship and spiritual maturity. In Luke 16, Jesus explains it plainly …
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight. Luke 16:10-15
You can draw your own conclusions about what is highly valued among men, but if you really want to know, just watch a few commercials on TV. They are selling you a bill of goods of what will make you happy. Look younger, be trendy, impress your friends. At best, as Solomon explained in Ecclesiastes, it is just “vanity, vanity, a chasing after the wind.” As soon as you buy one thing, it's obsolete. Then, you've got to buy the next thing. At worst, it is destestable in God's sight. Much of what passes for entertainment these days falls into that category.
If this bill of goods highly valued by men is vanity at best or at its worst detestable to the Lord, we should flee from it because who wants to be devoted to the things of this world? They are all passing away. You don't have to be an old geezer like me to understand this. Taryn experienced this in an especially irritating way two weeks ago. She had her three favorite silly bands out in her bedroom. While she was gone, the cat came and ate a chunk out of each one of the silly bands. I'm not making this up. Our deranged cat ate select portions of three silly bands. Now, Taryn did not have her hope in silly bands. At the same time, she was pretty much furious. How many of the worldly things we set our hearts on are the equivalent of silly bands when compared to true riches in heaven?
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21
On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. Ezra 8:31
That's it. Five months of travel on foot. It took twelve days to get some Levites, fast and pray, and divide the gifts. Then five months of traveling day after day. Terrain and landscape pretty much the same. Lots of brown, lots of rocks. We kind of skipped over the fact that their children came with them. I get frustrated with the “Are we there yet?” question when we travel a couple of hours. Could you imagine 5 months of, “Are we there yet?” And yet, God brought them through this journey without soldiers or armies, safely and intact. He answered their prayer in a big way.
So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days. On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time. Ezra 8:32-34
Another practical point. Ezra did divide up the treasure among men he deemed trustworthy. Also, they weighed everything at the beginning and they weighed it at the end. Ezra was prudent. He trusted but he made sure that there was accountability among those he trusted. Nothing was missing.
Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs and, as a sin offering, twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord. They also delivered the king's orders to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God. Ezra 8:35-36
One last practical point. They brought with them the letter from King Artaxerxes. Make sure you have your documents backed up, and you know where they are. Rather than in chapters 5 where they had to send to King Darius a request that the archives be searched for the original decree allowing them to rebuild the temple.
Look at the sacrifice they offered upon their arrival. They offered twelve bulls. Not three bulls for Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, but rather twelve bulls for the twelve tribes of Israel. There is not partisan jockeying for power now. There is only a desire to be reunited in God's promised land under His provision and His protection.
Let's pray.
Father God, we all make a journey of faith. We pray for your protection along the way. We have many responsibilities. I pray that we would have the wisdom to discharge our duties faithfully. Remind us continually that we need to seek you first above everything else. If we seek You first, all the other needs in our lives will be met. Guard our hearts that we would not by captivated by the things of this world. Remind us that all things that glitter are not gold. Our life is in you Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment